igii. Nichols. — The Irish Dipper, Jay and Coal-Titmouse. 45 



As the result of an examination of a considerable number 

 of British and Irish jays by Mr. H. F. Witherby and Dr. 

 E. Hartert, the Irish Jay has also recently been described 

 as a distinct sub-species, and named by them Garrulus 

 glandcirius hihernicus {British Birds, January, 191 1, pp. 

 234-5). The most striking characteristics of the Irish Jay 

 are " the dark rufous colouring of the sides of the head, 

 car-coverts and underparts, and the darker crest " ; the 

 measurements of the wing and bill are said to be " perhaps 

 slightly smaller on the average " than those of the British 

 Jay. Specimens of the Irish Jay are in the Dublin Museum 

 from Counties Kildare, Meath, Tipperary, Waterford, and 

 Wexford. 



At the meeting of the British Ornithologists' Club held 

 December 14th, 1910, Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant exhibited 

 and described examples of a Titmouse from Ireland which 

 he regards as "an extremely distinct and well-marked 

 species " and has named^ Parus hibeniicus. He remarked 

 that " the pale mustard-colour of the patches on the sides 

 of the head and occipital spot, as well as of the breast and 

 belly, also the clear cinnamon-coloured sides, flanks, and 

 upper tail-coverts, rendered P. hibernicus distinguishable at 

 a glance from P. britannicus,''^ the British Coal-Titmouse. 

 There are in the Dublin Museum specimens of the Irish 

 Coal-Titmouse from Athlone and the Counties Dublin, 

 Waterford, and Wexford ; these specimens were obtained 

 several years ago, and the light patches on the sides of the 

 head, occiput, and underparts now show only a faint trace 

 of the mustard -yellow colour stated by Mr. Ogilvie-Grant 

 to be very bright and conspicuous in freshly killed 

 examples, but to fade considerably a few days after death. 



Mr. Ogilvie-Grant mentioned that the British Coal- 

 Titmouse also occurred in Ireland, and that he had himself 

 obtained a number of specimens at Clandeboye, Co. Down, 

 in January, 1904, .but " was not aware whether these birds 

 bred in Co. Down or were merely winter migrants from 

 the opposite coast of Britain." 



National Museum, Dublin. 



1 Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club, No. clxv., December 31st. 

 1910. 



